Water
by Schizophrenic Anon
Summary: Longest fic I've written...and growing with sidestories... get ready for total mushiness and drama
1. Prologue

prologue

mushy? yeah...it's like a romance thingie. The girl is obviously made-up...just lying on my bed one night then it came up. don't blame me, blame my crazy head.   
  
Bad fic. I am one pitiful person. I just felt the urge to share this ugly piece of writing.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
  
  
Was it all just a dream? Or maybe a vision? No, no, it can't be... It all started when I asked the Tarot cards when I would find true love...  
  
...er... that's not the start of the story...  
  
(so get on with it!)  
  
Okay! Okay! *dodges a flying table followed by a few more household items*  
  
A silver ring and an ancient scripture have been passed on from generation to generation, until it reaches the thirteenth descendant of the Tsukai clan. The thirteenth descendant is always female. Only the thirteenth descendants can read the scripture, which contains the information on the ring. It is written in an ancient language that, by instinct, only the 13th descendants can read. The ring allows its owner to travel to any world or dimension she wishes. But in order to do so, she must gain enough physical strength and mental ability to survive the transport. Mizu is one of the thirteenth descendants. Since she was little, she has been trained by her family to attain the required strength for her to use the ring properly. Now, she has traveled to some of these worlds, but always came back to her own, where she truly belongs.   
  
But there is one thing to be remembered about this mystical ability: an inhabitant of one world must not develop intimate emotions towards the thirteenth descendant. If one does, the two worlds would collide and will be reduced to little specks of dust, out of existence (okay, that last part was a bit too melodramatic). The part of the scripture where this was written was at the end of the scroll. Then after that, the writing was too garbled that even the thirteenth descendants could not read it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I told you it was bad. Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	2. Travel

chapter2

mushy? yeah...it's like a romance thingie...well, not yet. Oh yeah, kinda anti-Relena. The girl is obviously made-up... just lying on my bed one night then it came up. don't blame me, blame my crazy head.   
  
Bad fic. I am one pitiful person. I just felt the urge to share this ugly piece of writing.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
Travel  
  
  
  
"You must run away,"  
  
"But father, I can't leave you like this!"   
  
"You mustn't let yourself get caught, Mizu. I'm counting on you. Don't worry about me. Flee to another world! Don't fail me, my child..."  
  
Mizu stands up slowly, laying her father's unconscious body in a safe corner of the room. "Yes, father," she told him, "I won't fail you." She took one last look before running out of the door.  
  
Mizu ducks into an alley, hiding from the pair who has been in hot pursuit of her for half an hour. They were the evil henchmen of her father's evil ex-colleague. The evil ex-colleague heard of her dimension-jumping abilities and wanted to gain that power for himself so he could conquer the other worlds (as would any evil person would do). When she had made sure the evil henchmen were still far away, she breathed deeply and placed her left hand over her heart. A flash of light encircled the ring on her left hand then emitted a bright light, which engulfed her completely. Her place of destination was unexpected, for she didn't have time to plan it properly. Before she could change her mind on where she would go, her mind blacked out as it normally did when she traveled (Mizu hasn't attained the highest level of mental strength to avoid this occurrence yet).  
  
The evil henchmen has just rounded the corner where they saw Mizu go to, but all they witnessed were small sparks gently falling to the ground. Nobody was there.  
  


***  
  


"Heero! Watch out!" Quatre almost dropped the tray he was carrying when he saw a blinding light appear right behind his companion.  
  
Heero turned around to see a flash of circular light then it suddenly exploded into a bright light. Soon after, the light slowly faded and a girl was sighted. She was levitating a few inches from the ground, right in front of Heero. When the light had totally vanished, the girl slowly floated to the floor and drowsily stepped forward. "I won't fail you, father..." then she falls unconscious into the arms of an off-guarded Heero.   
  
Five pairs of bewildered eyes stared at the stranger.   
  


***  
  


"Where could she have come from? Who is she?"   
  
"Weell..." Duo was flipping through the contents of what looked like a wallet, "From what I stole from her, it seems like her name is Tsukai Mizu and was born on 1982..." Duo's eyes widened, "whaaat?! What kind of year is this? It's only 196!"   
  
"Duo! What are you doing, stealing others' private property!" Quatre scolded, grabbing the wallet from him.  
  
"Someone once told me that there were other dimensions and parallel universes," Trowa mumbled, recalling the bright light they had seen before the girl came out of nowhere.  
  
"Do you think she came from one of those?"   
  
"If she did," Wufei started thoughtfully, "the question would be how she got here."  
  
"Maybe people from her world can jump dimensions or something," Duo guessed.  
  
"Then how come this is the first incident of this occurrence?"  
  
"She... may be the only one who could..." a soft voice absently muttered.  
  
The four boys looked at Heero, who had just spoken. They thought about what he said, then they turned their gaze to the direction he was looking at.   
  
The girl was still unconscious and has been put into a bed. The boys were outside discussing the situation. She stirred.  
  
Everybody noticed, except Heero, whose mind was quite blank from what just happened. The four boys looked at Heero, staring straight at the girl, then to Mizu, then back to Heero. Parallel thoughts came to their minds: the girl could serve as a replacement for that horrible princess Peacecraft who was obviously a bit-too-obsessed with Heero. This girl was pretty, and this is the first time they've seen Heero look at anybody that way (on second thought, ANY girl is fit to replace Relena! But in this case, Mizu was chosen). The boys quickly scooped up the unnoticing Heero and stood him in front of the bed. They closed the curtains and rushed out of the room then closed the door... they did all this just before Mizu opened her eyes.  
  
Mizu rubbed her eyes and saw that she was in a bed. "Where... am I?" She hasn't looked around yet.  
  
Her voice reached Heero's mind in some way and he snapped back into reality. "uh? Nani?"  
  
Mizu hears a familiar voice and quickly looks to the direction of its source. "You..." she points a shaking finger at Heero, "you... you're... Heero Yuy..."  
  
Heero's eyes widened when he heard his own name. "How did you---"  
  
But before he could say anything, Mizu had pounced on him and was hugging him a bit-too-tight. "Oh my God! It's Heero Yuy!!!" (it's a side effect of disorientation: you get a little twisted in the head. But it only lasts a few seconds)  
  
Mizu finally realizes what she's doing and pulls herself away and instantly hides under the covers, but she failed to hide her crimson cheeks. "I'm sorry," a feeble voice eeped out from under the blanket, "I didn't mean to..."  
  
Now we all expect that Heero would pull out a gun, point it at the blankets and say his famous quote before shredding the covers (and its contents) to teensy little bits. BUT that didn't happen. Instead, he just looked at what seemed like a huge speaking lump in the bed as a slight blush colored his face.   
  
A very loooooong silence ensued until...  
  
"How did you know my name," Heero asked the question he was supposed to ask before.  
  
Mizu cautiously peeked out of the covers to make sure that no gun was putting her in the firing line (she has been expecting what any normal person would expect of Heero). When she saw none, she replied, "believe it or not... I know almost..." she hesitates, "...almost everything there is to know in this world." She looked up at Heero, expecting a violent retort. But none came.  
  
Heero looked at her, surprised, but gave no reply.  
  
"My name is Tsukai Mizu," she had already stood up and was holding out her right hand. "Please take me to where the other pilots are, I need to talk to you all."  
  
Well, the others weren't hard to find, because when Heero opened the door, four eavesdropping boys came tumbling into the room.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
I told you it was bad. Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	3. Famous

chapter3

mushy? yeah...it's like a romance thingie...well, not yet...almost there, tho. The girl is obviously made-up... just lying on my bed one night then it came up. don't blame me, blame my crazy head.   
  
Bad fic. I am one pitiful person. I just felt the urge to share this ugly piece of writing.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
The group was sitting around a table, Mizu had introduced herself formally, and was now explaining how she got there and why. "I have to stay in this world for a while, and when the time comes, I'll go back to my own world. Since the war here's over, I suppose I won't be much of a bother to you. Just help me find a place to stay in."  
  
"And when, may I ask, *is* the 'time'," Wufei asked.  
  
"I..." Mizu didn't know what to say, "I'm not really sure..."  
  
"You said you know almost everything in this world," Quatre recalls. "How come?"  
  
"Actually," Mizu explained, "quite a number of people know a lot about you guys. Because... how do I say this... your world is being... SHOWN AS A POPULAR TELEVISION SERIES!! Oh, how devastated you must be!" she promptly buries her face in her hands (obviously an influence of Fushigi Yuugi).   
  
"WHAAT?!" everybody exclaims.  
  
"Cartoons, actually. To be precise, the genre where Gundam Wing is a member of is called Anime."  
  
A louder, higher-pitched 'what' came from her listeners.  
  
"Reeeally?? You mean I'm a big TV star?" Duo swoons over himself. "I must be very popular, then!"  
  
Sweatdropping, Mizu admits, "Sorry for giving you a super ego boost, Duo-san, but you *are* the most popular among the characters."  
  
Duo lets out an egotistic laugh and marches off with overconfidence in himself.  
  
"How come Duo's the most popular! This is injustice!" says you-know-who.  
  
"I must say, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Wufei-san, but according to polls, you're the least popular among the five..." then she hides her head to dodge any flying attacks.   
  
"WHAT?! The polls do me no justice!" and Wufei stomps away, ranting.  
  
"I'm a mere cartoon character?" a pained voice was heard. "But... how can that be? I'm a real person!" It was Quatre, devastated by the fact that he's only animation. "Trowa-kun, do I look like a cartoon to you?" Before Trowa could answer, Quatre was talking out loud to himself, looking very much like a crazy fool. "No! I won't accept it! I am no drawing! Blablabla..." He, too, walks off, still talking to himself, much like a nutty princess we know of. Trowa runs after him, to try and comfort his friend.  
  
Mizu sighed. "Won't anyone listen to me without overreacting?" Then she notices that Heero was still there. He was sitting at the far corner of the table: scowl, arms crossed over chest, and thinking very deeply. He stands up, walks up opposite of Mizu, then suddenly slams his palms on the table and in one swift action moves his face towards Mizu, their noses almost touching. Mizu stepped back a few paces in surprise. "I want to know more about your world," Heero said. Mizu, though taken aback, feebly nodded.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
hm. predictable, ne? I told you it was bad. Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	4. Where the fic got the PG rating

chapter4

HERE COMES THE MUSH!!!!!!!! daa!! i never want to read this ever again. my split persona is killing me for writing this. she hasn't read the epilogue yet...heheh...mwahaha...BWAHAHAHAHAAA~~!!!  
  
half-lemon. 'nuff said.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
Mizu and Heero are walking on some path from a place nobody knows leading to no distinct location. "What did you mean when you said 'I won't fail you, father'," Heero asked, it's the question he's been thinking so deeply about.   
  
"When did I say that?"  
  
"Before you went unconscious."  
  
"I did? Hm. Well, my father was the one who told me to run away from his evil ex-colleague. I must not be caught. He's counting on me. I mustn't fail him."  
  
Heero didn't look like he was listening. He was in deep thought again. But really, he heard everything Mizu said.  
  
"You may be thinking of how advanced our technology is to see into other worlds and know so much about them. No, it just so happened that people of my world created a story parallel to your world and broadcast it. Maybe they had visions of those other worlds or dimensions, but I'm not really sure. My people... the people of my world... they don't know that what they see on TV, what they read in books, they have their own worlds. Only I know, because I've been there, to the other worlds. I've seen what they've seen, felt what they've felt. My people are oblivious to the fact that everything and everyone has their own world. And if they find out, two things will happen: they'll believe it, or they won't. If they don't believe, they'll make a fool out of me and call me crazy. But if they do, they'll make me a science experiment, like what my father's evil ex-colleague tried to do."  
  
Silence.  
  
"You say that you know everything about this world, and that includes me. I'm sorry, but it can't be helped that I don't believe you. I'd like you to prove it."  
  
Mizu looked at Heero, then understood that her story *is* quite hard to believe. She smiled, "Alright."   
  
She plucked a yellow wildflower from the grass and held it out to Heero. "Does this remind you of anything?"   
  
Heero's shocked eyes blinked at the flower, then at Mizu. "You do know," he takes the flower and looks at it remorsefully.  
  
Mizu looks away." I'm sorry if I brought back bad memories to you. But it's the best way I can prove myself."  
  
"It's nothing," Heero had dropped the flower and was moving towards Mizu. Before she knew it, Mizu felt an arm slip around her waist, pulling her gently towards Heero. She caught sight of those mesmerizing blue eyes as she heard a whisper, "You're... amazing...." Then those eyes closed as she felt warm lips pressing against her own. Mizu's body tenses at the upside-down sensation in her stomach, then she succumbs to the deep kiss. Her hands lay lightly on Heero's shoulders. A tongue roughly prodded her insides, and she responds to the forceful stimuli. By Mizu's response, a smile escapes Heero's mouth. His kisses travel down to Mizu's neck, hungrily caressing each inch of skin he can get his lips on. Mizu's grip on Heero's shoulders grew tighter with every kiss, her breathing grew faster. Heero's hand dug under her blouse and his cold fingers touched her warm back. Another sensation ran up Mizu's spine as the boy's hand massaged her skin into a hot molten mass. Heero's other hand fumbled with her buttons and succeeds in opening one, exposing part of her chest. His lips wander to the place, his hand now running through her dark brown hair.   
  
A slight tremor ran through the ground. The couple almost fell over.   
  
"Nani?" Heero holds on tight to Mizu's hand. The ground shook stronger. He pulled the girl closer to him.  
  
Mizu gasped. She remembered the scripture.   
  
Mizu closes her eyes tight and pushes Heero away.   
  
"Why? What is it?" asked the surprised Heero.  
  
Gentle raindrops fell on the two.  
  
Mizu wiped her tears, and walked back a few steps. "Please... don't look for me...forget about me..." she said, before running off through the path, into the deep woods. The gentle rain grew stronger as Mizu ran out of Heero's sight.  
  
In a few minutes, a bright light emitted from within the dark woods.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
did you guess correctly? well...what I meant about the 'half-lemon' was that half of the chapter contains lemon. hah.   
  
I told you it was bad. Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	5. crossover chapter

chapter4

More mush. gomen if the chapters were too short. but those were the best cuts I could make. anyway, This one's extra long...and extra dramatic. but more drama will come soon...*sigh*  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
"Heero! You're soaking wet! Where's Mizu-san?" Quatre opens the door for Heero, who trudged right inside, not bothering to let himself drip off first.   
  
"I...don't know," he replied under his breath.  
  
"What do you mean, you don't know?!"  
  
Quatre made such a racket that the other boys went to see what was happening.  
  
A towel was draped over Heero's shoulders when the others arrived. "What happened?" Duo asked.  
  
"Mizu's gone," Quatre explained.  
  
"What? So soon? I need to ask her about me in her world first!"   
  
"Duo, this is not a laughing matter," Quatre scolded.   
  
"You're always mad at me! Just because I'm the most popular..." Yes, the ego's still there... *sigh*  
  
Ignoring Duo, Quatre patted Heero's back comfortingly. "We'll find her. Ne, Heero?"  
  
"She said not to look for her,"  
  
"Don't tell me you're giving up on her just like that," Wufei exclaims. "It's dishonorable to do such a thing!"   
  
Apparently, the boys are desperate for a replacement for Relena. And now that they've found the perfect one, they won't let it slip away so easily (that explains why even Wufei is enthusiastic about finding Mizu).  
  
"The light..." Heero continued.  
  
"Nani?" everybody looked at Heero.  
  
"There was a light... a few minutes after... in the direction where she went..."  
  
"She could have gone to another world," Trowa thought aloud.  
  
"Oh, no! How will we find her then?" Quatre distressingly asked.  
  
The four boys realized that their matchmaking wasn't gonna work without the match. They all sigh hopelessly and went off to pray for some miracle to happen or something, leaving Heero alone in the room.  
  


***  
  


Mizu had run a few meters into the woods. She looked back at the path. Heero didn't follow her. She was dripping wet from the rain. She leaned on a large old tree to keep out the storm. She was exhausted from running at top speed. She needed to get away from him, or this world will collide with hers. When she thought of this world as a destination, she didn't expect anything like this to happen. She had expected that Heero would be the last person in this world to do such a thing, and so... openly.   
  
She knew only one person in all the worlds who could help her, one with quite a similar situation. She placed her left hand over her heart, and the light engulfed her completely... In a few seconds she was gone.  
  


***  
  


Chichiri was fishing in the royal pond when:   
  
"Da!" A bright light emerged from above the water. When the light had faded, something fell into the pond. Chichiri instantly dived in to grab it. When he surfaced, he saw that it was a girl. She was unconscious, so he brought her into the palace.  
  


***  
  


Mizu's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she saw was a white cat with a brown spot on its face.  
  
"mew!"   
  
She almost jumped out of her skin.  
  
"Oh, you're awake!"  
  
Mizu glanced at the door, and a man with blue hair and weird bangs was carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of what smelled like soup. He stepped into the room, to be followed by five more men, a little boy, and a brown-haired girl with buns (on her hair, not the food!).  
  
"Here, eat this," Chichiri was the blue-haired man. "It'll make you feel better." He offered Mizu the bowl and a spoon.  
  
"Thank you," Mizu politely replied.   
  
"You fell into the pond," it was Tasuki, his arms crossed over his chest.   
  
"But Chichiri was there to save you," Chiriko, the boy, continued.  
  
"Your clothes are being cleaned by my servants," It was Hotohori, the emperor of the kingdom they were in.  
  
"It's a good thing I have some extra clothes for you to wear," Nuriko said, who was now wearing men's clothing.  
  
"You were wearing a school uniform, weren't you? Are you from my world?" Miaka inquired, surprising all the others.  
  
"Miaka," Tamahome elbowed her, "Don't question her like that. She just woke up."  
  
"Heey! It hurts!"  
  
"It's all right," Mizu said. "Yes, it was my school uniform, but I come from another world, though it's very similar to yours." Her reply surprised the star warriors even more.  
  
"Woah! How many worlds are there?" Tamahome commented.  
  
"There are hundreds of worlds, and I can explain it all to you, if I must. First things first, my name is Tsukai Mizu. My clan has passed this ring on for thousands of years and---" her supposedly long speech was cut short by Mitsukake.  
  
"You must rest first, Tsukai-san," he placed his left hand on her head. "Do not exert too much energy. If you haven't noticed, you have a very high fever."  
  
Mizu's eyes bogled at the tall man. "I do?" she touched her forehead. "You're right." It was scalding hot.  
  
"All right, you must save your story for later, when you've fully recovered," Hotohori pulled up the bed covers up to Mizu's chin. "It can wait until then."  
  
The star warriors and Miaka one by one went out of the room, the last one to go out was Hotohori.  
  
"Thank you, your majesty."  
  
Hotohori stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Mizu address him as "your majesty", but he dismissed it, thinking that he *did* look like an emperor compared to his companions. *vain!*  
  


***  
  


Mizu, waking up from another couple of hours of rest, slowly gets up from the bed. She hears it's raining outside. "It's raining here, too," she observes. "Does it always rain wherever I go?" Her mind rushes back to what happened earlier, in the other world. She remembers Heero, how he acted, it was very unusual of him.  
  
_What could he mean?_ She pondered silently. _Could it be love? Want?... Need?_ She thinks of the way he moved, how he touched her so gently, yet so possessively. It could be all of them, she smiled.  
  
She remembers how she used to act when reminded of Heero, in her world. Her friends usually ask her why Heero. They tell her that Duo, or Quatre is a better choice. But she always stuck to Heero. She laughed at herself.   
  
She remembers Heero's eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of blue she has ever seen. How she longed to look into those eyes again, to be the recipient of his kisses again. It seems like the minutes they've spent together felt like years. And now it feels like they've been separated for centuries. A slight tremor crawled through the ground as she thought of him.  
  
_No, I can't go back. I mustn't!_ Mizu tries to suppress her emotions. _I've already caused enough damage. I shouldn't let my feelings destroy worlds..._ A solitary tear falls on the ring.  
  


***  
  


The rain still hasn't stopped. Heero stayed in his seat, where he was sitting in a few hours ago since he got back, alone. His head bowed down, staring at the soaked carpet. Water still dripped from his hair and clothes. He didn't bother to towel himself dry. The others had left, hoping it'd be best to let him be alone for a while. He felt he was not whole anymore, and nothing could fill up the empty space in him.   
  
He looks up, to the window. The rain had partially subsided, but the sky was bleak with big gray clouds.   
  
_...Mizu..._  
  
The rain seemed to grow stronger again, and a slight wind blew at the treetops.  
  


***  
  


Mizu felt somebody's presence. She glanced at the door, nobody was there. The wind had grown stronger.  
  


***  
  


_...Mizu..._  
  
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky. It illuminated the bleak sky and the dark living room. The light reminded Heero of Mizu's arrival.  
  


***  
  


Loud thunder rolled in from the sky. It has grown dark, and a great flash of lightning lit up the unusually black sky. A chill crept up Mizu's spine as a draft entered the room.  
  


***  
  


_...Mizu..._  
  
Black clouds swept in by the strong wind, engulfing the gray clouds within its dark depths. The trees were thrashing wildly outdoors. The other boys have been running around for quite a while, trying to close all the windows as quickly as they can so the rain won't come in.   
  
_...Mizu..._  
  


***  
  


"YAMETE! HEERO!!!" a shrill scream rang out through the palace.  
  


***  
  


Heero gasped just as Quatre slammed the shutters of the window Heero was looking out of.   
  
"Heero, you should have dried yourself," Quatre said, walking towards Heero. He took the towel and used it to ruffle Heero's hair. He felt Heero's forehead. "See? Now you have a fever. Go and take a bath," Quatre ordered him like a mother.   
  
Heero didn't really care if he shriveled up and died now but he did as his friend said and slowly went up the stairs.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
well, *that* was long... the last 1/4 of the chapter was my personal favorite. whaat?!? i actually like this?? no, not the story. I just like the sudden scene changes and how it all connected. It'd look better if it were animated. but i don't think it (or any of my work, for that matter) would get that far. Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	6. advice

chapter6

mush, mush, mush, and more mush. back to shorter chapters. and increasing dramatic effects. geez. definitely not me.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
The Suzaku seishi, Miaka, the emperor's attendants, and some soldiers came rushing in Mizu's room. Everybody carried a weapon, ready to attack any intruders. They found Mizu crouched in the corner hugging her knees tightly with closed, tearful eyes. No signs of an enemy attack could be found.  
  
"What happened here?" Hotohori asked.  
  
Tama-neko comfortingly licked her tears away.  
  
"All right, soldiers, attendants, you may leave now. Search the palace grounds for any intruders and capture them immediately," he ordered (well, can you blame me if I don't know their names?!).  
  
Miaka stepped up. "She says she is from a world similar to mine. Maybe I can be the one to help her."   
  
"Are you sure, Miaka?" Tamahome asked.  
  
"Yes, as Suzaku no Miko I will do my best to help anyone I can," she declared. "Please leave us here."  
  
The Suzaku seishi agreed and one by one left the room.  
  


***  
  


Warm water spouted from the showerhead, rinsing rainwater off Heero's body. He tried to think things over, but the thought of Mizu just hurts him. His actions were automatic: shampoo; rinse it off; soap; rinse it off. When he placed the soap on the ceramic holder, it slipped and the holder came crashing to the floor. It broke into a million pieces. Some fragments cut Heero's calf. Blood trickled down his leg. He leaned onto the cold tile wall. The warm water washed off the blood.  
  


***  
  


Miaka walked over to Mizu. Tama crept away. She placed her hand over Mizu's head. Mizu opened her eyes, and Miaka encouraged her to talk.   
  
Tama ran up the table, accidentally knocking over the empty soup bowl. It crashed on the floor, sending fragments flying towards Mizu. It cut her leg, and blood oozed out.   
  


***  
  


Heero lay in his bed in fresh clothes, his wet hair dampened the sheets, his wound, unattended to, continues to produce blood and thickly drips, staining the covers.  
  


***  
  


A piece of cloth ripped from Miaka's uniform bandaged Mizu's wound, but the bleeding doesn't stop. Mizu tells her about her clan and the ring, ant the evil ex-colleague of her father. "But," she continued, "that's not why I came here."  
  
Miaka looked at her questioningly.  
  
"I came to ask you for advice."  
  
"Me? On what?"  
  
"Before I came to this world, I went to another world. As I said earlier, I know lots of things about the different worlds, and I knew almost everything in this particular one."  
  
Mizu paused, then continued.  
  
"A boy. I had always admired him, even in my own world. When I ran off to their world, he was there. I didn't go to their world because of him. Actually, it was an accident that I came there. I just asked him and his friends to allow me to stay in their world. They were fine with me staying, and even offered their own abode. But he told me was interested in my world, and how I knew so much about the other worlds. I told him, then he kissed me. I didn't expect for him to do that, especially with the personality I knew him of." Mizu stopped completely, leaving her story hanging.  
  
"That means he likes you, right? Aren't you happy about that?"  
  
Mizu sighed. "'An inhabitant of another world must not develop intimate emotions with the thirteenth descendant. If one does, the two worlds would collide and will be reduced to little specks of dust.' Those are the exact last words on the ancient scripture. The remaining sentences on the scroll couldn't be read."  
  
"Oh, I understand. But why come to me?"  
  
"Don't you have a similar situation?"  
  
Miaka remembers that Tamahome cannot survive in her world. But her situation is far less in degree than that of Mizu's. "Yes, but... do you really think I could help?"  
  
"I was hoping you could. What would you do?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"What would you do if you were a thirteenth descendant? You will find Tamahome in this world, fall in love with him, but realize that you cannot be together because your worlds will collide and your love for each other will only cause destruction?"  
  
Mizu's strong words surprised Miaka. _Yes, definitely, I will be hurt,_ she thinks. A part of her feels relieved that her situation isn't as bad as Mizu's. But she feels that she has to help this girl. She did travel to ancient China just to ask for her help. _I must help her, then._ "Can you go back to his world?"   
  
"Yes, any time is possible."  
  
"Why don't you do what Tamahome and I do: write letters."  
  
Mizu looked up at her curiously.  
  
"Even if you're not there, you could explain to him what will happen if a relationship continues. I'm sure he'll understand."  
  
Mizu thinks for a while, then nods. "Yes, I'll try that. Thank you."  
  
"Is his name the one you called out earlier?"  
  
Mizu solemnly nodded.  
  
Miaka smiled.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
the first part i like... it's that scene-connect thing again. Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	7. delivery

chapter7

mush, mush, mush, and more mush. chapters get shorter and shorter... but with increasing dramatic effects. Oh, and don't forget the romance. geez. definitely not me.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
Soon later, Mizu is sitting in front of a table, surrounded by Miaka and the seishi. Miaka had explained to the others what Mizu had told her so they set up a scribe's desk for her. On the table was a stack of finely made paper, but there's no writing on them. Beside that was a small porcelain jar, and a complete set of bamboo brushes, ranging in size.  
  
Mizu stared at the writing instruments for a few minutes, then nervously glanced over to Miaka. Everybody anxiously waited for what she's going to say. "...er... do you have a ballpoint pen?"  
  
*sweatdrop*  
  


* * *  
  


Heero was hard at work on his desk. He was writing something. It was night, and the only light on was his desk lamp. Once in a while he would pause, look out at the starry sky (the clouds have cleared up), then start writing again. A litter of crumpled paper overflowed from the wastebasket beside him.   
  
An hour passes by and at last he proudly holds up a thick, quite crudely sealed, envelope. On the back of the envelope he wrote something, then stood up and turned off the light. He drowsily walked over to his bed and he slumped onto the mattress, instantly falling asleep, clutching the envelope in his left hand.  
  


* * *  
  


Mizu sat alone in the room, writing. She has made the others leave her alone because she felt conscious when people watch what she does. At first she didn't know what to say, but once she started writing, words came flooding out from her. It was already dark but, with a candle by her side, she continues to work on her letter. Luckily for Mizu, Miaka had a black ballpoint pen with her. She carefully writes each letter in her neatest handwriting, and tries not to make any mistakes. A small window lets some moonlight inside. She looks out the opening and she sees the stars. It didn't take long for her to find her favorite constellation: Orion's belt. She smiled, then continued with her writing.  
  
The task is finally done. Mizu had to stop herself from writing too much. She signed the letter and folded it neatly. She took a red, unused candle beside the ink jar (the small porcelain jar) and lit it with the other candle. She let the wax melt and drip onto the paper. Then sealed the letter with the Phoenix (Suzaku) seal Hotohori lent her.   
  
Mizu took another piece of paper and wrote a note to Miaka and the others and left it on the table.   
  
She stood up finally, and, holding the letter in her hand, she started the transport. Light escapes through the small window, then finally fades.  
  


* * *  
  


A spark travels the circumference of the ring then explodes into a bright light. Soon after, Mizu materializes into view. The bright light dims, but does not disappear. She is in a room. She notices the floor is littered with paper, and, there, sleeping on the bed in the most uncomfortable position, was Heero.   
  
Mizu did not descend to the floor, as she usually would. If the light did not fade completely, she wouldn't lose consciousness. She planned it that way so that she could easily travel to another world before anybody wakes up, and no one would see her, especially Heero.   
  
She moved closer to Heero, still hovering in the air like a spirit, and placed her letter in his right hand, so that he would notice when he wakes up. She touched his forehead very gently so he wouldn't awaken. She was about to turn around and leave when she noticed that he was holding something white and rectangular in his other hand. She looked at it closely, then jumped back surprisingly when she saw her name on it, but then recovers from her shock and lays her hand on his. He unconsciously responded by releasing his possessive grip on the envelope, as if he didn't want anybody to take it other than the one to whom it is addressed.  
  
Mizu smiles at him as she fights the strong urge to stay. I can't, her mind argued with her heart, _I must go now._ Her face shows the obvious hurt she is experiencing, but her determination to prevent destruction wins over her personal emotions. "Goodbye," she whispers before the light glows its brightest then finally fades completely, leaving a few specks of white dust slowly floating to the floor.  
  


* * *  
  


Heero turns from his uncomfortable position and curls up into a ball. He unconsciously brings his right hand, holding Mizu's letter, to his heart, then he settles down again.   
  
He is having a dream about a bright light entering his room. It touched him, and he gave it the letter he had worked on so hard. Then the light fades away, bidding him goodbye.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	8. letters

chapter8

mush, mush, mush, and more mush. drama, drama, drama, and more drama. *real big sigh*  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
Letters  
  
  
  
"Good morning, Mizu!" Miaka barged in through the door. But she was welcomed by an empty room. She blinked. "Mizu?"   
  
"Where is she?" The seishi shortly followed.  
  
"I don't know. Let's check the other rooms," Miaka suggested.  
  
They searched the nearby rooms until they reached the room where they left her in last night, writing. The candle has just burned out, and a line of smoke escaped the glowing wick until it completely died out. On the table was a piece of paper. Miaka picked it up, and read its contents aloud for the others to hear.  
  


> To Miaka and the Suzaku seishi:  
  
Please forgive me for leaving without notice. I feel the need to go back to my own world and to my father. Miaka, thank you for the great advice, I believe it will work. I thank all of you for being so kind and hospitable. I will try my best to visit you again someday. And, hopefully, when I do, I could stay a bit longer. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. I wish you all good luck and prosperity.   
  
    Sincerely yours,  
    Mizu

  
  
Miaka read the letter again, silently this time, then looked up at her companions. She smiled. Everybody smiled, too.  
  
"I'm sure she's all right," Tamahome said.  
  
"Yeah, as long as she doesn't fall into a pond when she goes back to her world," Tasuki joked.  
  
Everybody laughed at that one.   
  
They all looked out the small window. The sky was a beautiful bright blue.  
  


***  
  


A gust of wind suddenly opened the windows in Heero's room. The noise abruptly woke up the sleeping boy. He looked out of the window. The storm clouds were gone, revealing the blue sky. Still sleepy, Heero groaned drowsily and rolled over to his side. The sound of crumpling paper caused him to open his eyes again. There, in his hand, was a piece of folded paper, sealed with red wax, slightly crumpled. It was obviously not the envelope he held when he fell asleep. The envelope was gone. This was a different letter.   
  
_Did she..._ he thought. He stared at the paper. A few seconds passed until Heero finally decided to open it. He carefully peeled off the seal and read the letter's contents.   
  


> Heero,  
  
I really don't know how to explain this clearly, but I'll try my best.   
  
"An inhabitant of one world must not develop intimate emotions towards the thirteenth descendant. If one does, the two worlds would collide and will be reduced to little specks of dust..."  
  
Those are the exact words on the ancient scripture. I couldn't read the last part of it, though. If you remember, I have already explained to you and the others about how I can travel to different worlds. I am a thirteenth descendant and we both belong to different worlds. Do you see the situation now? That's why I can't stay in your world anymore. You must try not to think of anything related to me again. If you do, it'll only cause destruction to both our worlds. I know you also have loved ones you want to protect, like I do. Forget me. For them.   
  
You'll never know how much this news hurts me. Or the trouble I have breathing whenever I think of the situation. If I had told you about this personally, I would most likely be crying by now. But I consider it as a duty to live to preserve the lives of others. In order to do that, I must refrain from disobeying what is written in the scripture.   
  
I will miss your world, I will miss everybody there, I will miss you. I spent less than a day there, but it felt like years. Maybe because I knew so much about the world... I don't know. Maybe I've always been attached to your world.   
  
Please, don't worry about me. The pain I feel now will eventually go. I'll survive all this. I'm still young. I'll go through much more. I think of this as a learning, strengthening experience. Later in my life, I'll know better what to do. I hope you learn from this too.  
  
    "...If you love someone, set them free.  
    If they return, they are yours forever..."  
  
I'm letting you go now. This is because I love you so. If a day comes when there are no scriptures, no rules, no restrictions, no limitations, I believe we will meet again.   
  
    Please let go,  
    Mizu

  
  
Heero stared at the letter. Now he understood why she had to go so suddenly. It hurt, but he knew he had to put up with the pain. _It'll help Mizu in a way,_ he thought.   
  
He had almost fully accepted the consequence the two of them has to go through... but something nagged at his heart when he read the letter again. It brought numbness to his whole body whenever he looked back at it. It was her last three words: "Please let go". He wished she hadn't written that. It was too strong. Trying to stop thinking about it, he averted his gaze to another part in the letter.  
  
"...if you love someone..." he started. He remembered something. He picked up one of the crumpled papers on the floor, smoothed it out on the bed, then read the last paragraph of its contents. "what the...?"   
  


***  
  


Mizu woke up in a familiar room. It was her room. The curtains danced softly to the sound of the wind. The door slowly creaked open, and her father peeked in the room.  
  
"Good morning," he greeted. He walked closer and sat on the bed. "You shouldn't wake up this early," he touched her forehead. "You still have a slight fever. Rest first, I tell you some good news later."  
  
Mizu smiled him a yes. He smiled back, then left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Silence.   
  
Mizu glanced over to her study desk. A white envelope was there, her name written on the back. She hurriedly clambered across the bed and reached for the envelope. She sat on her mattress, staring at the envelope. _It's for me..._ she thought absently, as if it was the first time she saw it. Last night's occurrences came back to her suddenly. She remembered Heero's tight grip on the envelope. She remembered saying goodbye. She turned it over and carefully started to open the envelope. In it was a letter, and something wrapped in tissue.  
  


> Mizu,  
  
I'm not really sure why I'm taking the time to write a letter to you, since I can't be certain if you'll be able to read it or not. But since you're reading it now, thank you for coming back. I just had the feeling you'd come, so I made this letter, just in case I won't be able to talk to you.  
  
The first thing I want to say is an apology for my quite... aggressive behavior. I don't know. When I first saw you, you looked like an angel: glowing in this bright light; levitating in the air; with such a peaceful expression. You were right in front of me. You fell into my arms when you lost consciousness. You should have seen how surprised I looked. I was shocked because I just learned then that not all angels have wings. And I didn't believe in angels before. Then when you started talking. When you told us about your ability to travel to other worlds, and how much you knew about them, and me...it made my perception of you shift from an angel to a goddess. I can't imagine anything you cannot do or obtain. You are the most special person I've ever met. That's probably why I wanted to take you before anyone else does.  
  
I'm sorry. I'm too possessive. I shouldn't have used the word 'take'. I'm not taking you as a possession. I didn't mean that. How else can I express myself? I'll rephrase my statement: I wanted to declare my feelings for you before anyone else does. I hope you understand.  
  
When I kissed you. It felt different. My want became more of a necessity. Like I needed you for survival. I couldn't stop myself. I held on to you like a lifeline. But when you pushed me away, when you told me to forget you... a large part of me crashed to pieces. That part of me only started when you first came. It rapidly took over most of my life. But you left... leaving me with an almost empty soul. Nothing could fill in the space except for you.  
  
I spent a lot of time alone that afternoon. The storm outside reminded me of you. Every time I thought of your name, the rain seemed to grow stronger. Stronger and stronger, until I heard your voice in my head, screaming, telling me to stop.   
  
Now I understand everything. I'm sure you have a very good reason for your actions. You didn't resist my kiss, or anything I did. Does that mean you express the same feelings? If it did, then I suppose your reason for going would be for the betterment of what I would like to believe as a relationship.   
  
Whatever your reason may be, I'll try my best to accept it, as long as it ensures your safety and happiness. I heard this quote somewhere, sometime in the past: If you love someone, set them free If they return, they are yours forever...  
  
I'm letting you go now. One day, when there are no more barriers between us, we will meet again.   
  
I enclosed a gift for you. If I'm supposed to forget you, then I hope you can remember me instead. But I cannot certify that I will forget you completely. You're already a big part of my life.   
  
I will miss you.  
  
    Sayounara,  
    Heero

  
  
A tear fell on the last page. Slowly, Mizu opens the tissue. Inside is a silver necklace with a half-cross pendant. The fine chain shone brightly in the sunlight pouring in from the window. The small half-cross had intricate engravings on every surface, improving the luster, making it shine brighter. Mizu closed the necklace in her fist. "Thank you..."  
  
A few more tears fell on the paper. Mizu tried to wipe it off when her eyes fell upon the last few lines. "...if you love someone...". Mizu looked at it curiously. Then she remembered her own letter.  
  


***  
  


"Dad, what was that good news you were gonna tell me about?"  
  
"Come here, Mizu. I'll show it to you," Mizu's father motioned his hand to draw her closer.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Look," he pointed to the computer screen. It was an image of the final words on the scripture. The letters looked different.  
  
"It's... a bit clearer..." Mizu commented.  
  
"Yes! Isn't that wonderful? Now you can read it!" he was ecstatic.  
  
"Well, Dad, I said it was a BIT clearer. I still can't read it properly."  
  
"That's what we're gonna work on, kid. Innovation! One day you'll get to read it. Who knows what's written in there!"  
  
"Okay, Dad. We'll do that," she patted his back. "Good work."  
  
Mizu looked at the screen again. _Wow, I'll finally get to read it. I wonder what's written there. I hope it's good news..._  
  
"Oh yes, there's another piece of news."  
  
"About...?"  
  
"My evil ex-colleague."  
  
"Oh yes, what happened?"  
  
"He..." her father snickered, "he was gonna dilute some Hydrochloric acid when he poured water into 100% acid... everything splashed all over him and he melted! HAHAHAHA!!! That's the stupidest thing an expert scientist like him could ever do! Can you believe it? HAHAHA!!---ouch!"  
  
"That's not funny," Mizu smacked her father on the head. "It's terrible news!"  
  
"What are you saying? He tried to kidnap you!"  
  
"Yes, but he was your *colleague*. And he's still a person! That makes him no different than you or me."  
  
"I never knew I had such a righteous daughter. Sorry."  
  
"It's ok," but I must say, it did serve him right, she continued in her head.  
  
"Where'd you get that?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"That," her dad pointed at her neck.  
  
"Oh, this," Mizu fingered the pendant inside her shirt. "It's a... goodbye present..."  
  
"Nice. Well, I'll get back to work!"  
  
"Okay, you do that," her voice seemed a bit less cheerful. Her hand still held on the pendant.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


	9. ending...???

chapter9

at last we come to an end... or, is it?  
  
DISCLAIMER: Don't own nothing except my own crazy self....oh yeah, i own Mizu.  
  
  
  
Within five years, Mizu's father worked on the scripture when he didn't work as a professor in a university.  
  
A month has passed since Mizu's college graduation.   
  
"Dad... I... I can read it now!" Mizu screamed.  
  
"Really??? What did it say?" her dad craned over her shoulder to see.  
  
"I'm not supposed to tell you, remember?"  
  
"Aww... can't you make me an exception?"  
  
"No. It's clearly stated in the very first line: nobody aside from the thirteenth descendant must learn of the contents of this scripture marked €. The last part of the scripture has a mark, see?" she pointed to a symbol in the scripture.  
  
"You're no fun," he pouted.  
  
"You're childish," she snapped back.  
  
"All right, is it good, or bad?"  
  
Mizu read it again. "I don't know..." she felt her pendant. "I'm not sure..."  
  


***  
  


Heero stopped his work. He stood up and walked out the door.   
  
"Oei! Where are you going? We're not yet done here!" Duo shouted at Heero from the roof.  
  
Heero didn't appear to hear him. He continued walking.  
  
"What's with him?" Quatre asked.   
  
Duo shrugged.  
  


***  
  


Heero walked down the path leading to the woods. Where am I going? He asked himself. He stopped. He glanced over to his left. A patch of weeds was growing with the grass. They bloomed bright yellow flowers. He stared long at the flowers. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver necklace with a half-cross pendant. At that exact same moment, a bright light shone from the middle of the woods. Heero ran to the light.  
  
He didn't have to run far because when he reached an old tree, he saw a familiar sight. One he had seen five years ago. Heero looked at her in shock as she touched the ground.   
  
"I didn't faint!" Mizu boasted. She smiled.  
  
"You're back..."  
  
Mizu let out a surprised gasp when Heero pulled her closer and hugged her tight. She hugged him back.  
  
A few moments passed, neither one moved. "I've failed my mission," Heero whispered.  
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"I didn't forget you."  
  
Mizu looked at Heero. She smiled, "You didn't have to after all."  
  
"I don't understand."   
  
"Did you read my letter?"   
  
He nodded.  
  
"I wrote about the remaining part of the scripture... the part I couldn't read. Well, my father found a way to improve the writings. And now, I can read it."  
  
"What did it say?"  
  
"I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I think you should hear it: The half-cross is the key to prevent destruction. The two bearers are destined forever... do you understand this? Heero?"  
  
Heero looked pale. "It is true..."  
  
"What is?"  
  
Heero opened his fist. In it was the other half-cross necklace.  
  
"Another one..." Mizu said.  
  
"Do you still have it?"  
  
"If I had lost it, hara-kiri," Mizu sliced an imaginary dagger across her stomach. "I promised myself years ago," she removed her necklace.  
  
Heero smiled. "Do you know what this means?"  
  
"We are the bearers..." Mizu started.   
  
"...destined forever," Both of them finished.  
  
Silence.  
  
"You're... beautiful," it was the first time Heero noticed Mizu's looks. Her hair was longer, and she had more slender features.  
  
"Hm, likewise." Heero has grown taller and more mature-looking.  
  
"Our worlds won't collide."  
  
"Yes, and we could stay together."  
  
Heero leaned over and kissed Mizu.   
  


***  
  


"It's injustice to pound so loudly at the roof while I'm trying to sleep!"  
  
"It's eleven o'clock in the morning! You're trying to sleep?! Why don't you get up here and give me a hand? Do you have any idea how hard it is to--- woah!"  
  
Duo stopped short of his sermon for Wufei when he saw two figures walking towards the house. Wufei turned around to look.  
  
Quatre also saw the two and rushed out the door, later followed by Trowa. "Mizu! What took you so long?---ow!"  
  
Trowa had smacked Quatre on the head for making such a stupid remark.   
  
Everybody laughed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
hm. a corny ending for a corny story. fits perfectly.   
  
Criticisms, flames and death threats are highly expected. No fear, I won't bite. 


End file.
